The Dreamseer and the Goblin King
by Fading Starlights
Summary: Sarah has returned to the Labyrinth after 7 years and now finds that the dreams she's been having have more weight than she thought. Not only that, Sarah has a target on her back and it's not the Goblin King's fault. Eventual J/S & possible lemons. Change the rating later.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, basic disclaimer; nothing that came from the movie Labyrinth belongs to me, nor does the movie. I might be able to take claim for an OC or two, but I'm not even sure about that.**

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Disembodied staircases floated in the expanse of darkness around them. He stood before her, dressed in white feathers.

The girl looked at him with eyes of wonder, those green eyes, cruel in their innocence, but he advanced on her on the uneven ground.

Without speaking, he offered her a crystal.

Suddenly, she had aged, her eyes were cruel with knowledge now, she was taller, more powerful, more beautiful. She looked at him, and then at the crystal, but she rolled her eyes in annoyance at the orb and turned away from him.

In a desperate move, he lunged forward and grabbed her arm, but like water, she slipped through his fingers and walked right up the ledge.

She looked back at him and smiled suddenly, almost maliciously, and stepped over the edge and disappeared into the darkness.

[1]

Jareth awoke covered in a light sweat and immediately groaned to himself.

That girl haunted him, even now. After all of this time, she still invaded his dreams and disturbed what precious sleep he could get in this chaotic Kingdom of his.

_"-you have no power over me!"_

Jareth shuddered at the memory of that night.

He had been so close – _so close_ – to possessing the girl! If he had distracted her just another few seconds.

Those green eyes haunted his memory as he stared at the canopy of his bed, not seeing it. Her eyes were so naïve, innocent; and in that innocence, cruel, and unaware of everything that she was being offered and was refusing.

Grimacing to himself, the Goblin King sat up in his bed and swung his legs over the side, pushing the curtains away. He had to look in on her. Now.

As much as the Goblin King hated to admit it, he had watched Sarah through his crystal for years, only doing so when he absolutely couldn't resist the temptation. That girl tortured his every waking moment, now. He was bitter, angry at losing, at her rejection, and it burned within him, knowing that she was walking around in her world without any sort of punishment for what she'd done to him.

More than that, it tortured him that he still wanted her.

Pushing that thought aside, Jareth twisted a crystal to life in his hands, then turned it that way so that the crystal would show him Sarah.

Jareth's frown deepened at the sight that greeted him.

Sarah had aged seven years since her run. She was a woman now, not the girl she had been. Sarah's black-brown hair was held back in a tight braid that fell to her hips, her legs more shapely, her curves more developed. Her facial features were also more striking; her face had thinned, any baby fat she'd had at fifteen was gone now, and her features were more defined. What little makeup she wore, made her eyes stand out of her face like emeralds set in ivory.

Sarah was dressed in a skirt and a t-shirt as she balanced a tray with two glasses of ale and one colorful alcoholic drink while she pushed her way through the crowded bar that she worked at in the evenings.

Jareth didn't fail to notice the looks that she got from various men through the room in their fogs of intoxication. Many of those men looked at Sarah as though she was a piece of fruit, ripe for the picking, peeling, and tasting, but Sarah didn't seem to notice their gazes and continued through the crowd as though on a mission.

Finally, Sarah reached a table with two men and a woman, and with a smile, delivered the drinks to their respective owners. The smile was trained, forced, and he recognized it as one someone in the royal courts would wear.

One of the men casually reached out and touched Sarah's hand while he thanked her, but she removed it from his reach casually and left them, not bothering to look back.

As Sarah returned to behind the bar, a particularly intoxicated patron attempted to slap her bottom, but without even looking or acknowledging him, Sarah placed her tray between her behind and the mans hand in time to stop the contact, startling both the patron and Jareth.

_How did she know that was coming?_ Jareth wondered, leaning towards the image involuntarily.

Shortly after getting behind the bar, her boss told her she could take a break, and she quickly exited the crowded room in favor of a significantly smaller room that Jareth wouldn't have considered a lounging room.

The room was poorly lit, there were no windows, a couple of grubby couches, a low table, a mortal device known as a _television_, if he remembered correctly, and a few locked vertical boxes that he supposed the workers at this bar must keep their things.

Sarah plopped herself down on one couch with a sigh. She looked exhausted, and proved so when she closed her eyes for a few seconds and her breathing immediately started to slow.

It was then that there was a knock at Jareth's bedroom door, making him growl. He didn't acknowledge the knock, and returned to watching Sarah as she sunk a little deeper into sleep.

The little knock persisted, but Jareth shoved all thoughts of it away so that he could truly appreciate what he was looking at.

Sarah was so vulnerable, so peaceful, and if only he'd had the power, he would have reached through the divide between their worlds and snatched her away. But she had forbidden him from such an action.

Sarah moaned slightly in her sleep as she scrunched her face up slightly. A few more moments and Jareth might have been able to slip into her dreams, but the knock returned, more persistently than before, snapping him out of his concentration.

[1]

Sarah's eyes snapped open at the same time with a sharp intake of breath. Her eyes darted around in a startled manner for a moment, tension filling her body, as though all of her muscles had suddenly locked up. After a moment, she took a couple of deep breaths, trying to calm her rapid heart.

Then, she moved her eyes to the poster hanging by the door and narrowed her eyes slightly. She didn't know what was so special about this poster, it was only for some cheesy movie that her boss had fallen in love with.

Sarah let out a small breath, resigning herself to knowing that, whatever she reason, she had to do this.

"You should probably get that," she said to the poster, "It's important."

Sarah stared at the poster for a moment longer before standing up and heading over to her locker and pulling out her purse to pull out a small notebook, not much larger than her old copy of Labyrinth and pencil.

Opening the notebook to the marked page, she saw the sentence she had written that morning.

_Two beers and a rainbow daiquiri, at bar, guy will try to grab your ass._

With slight smile, Sarah crossed it out and wrote another sentence below it.

_Rain tomorrow, bring umbrella. Tell Toby truth about _that _night._

[1]

When Sarah had turned her head towards him, Jareth had been startled, but as soon as she spoke, a chill ran down his spine.

_"You should probably get that. It's important."_

When she didn't break eye contact and the knock came again, Jareth crushed the crystal in his hand, a sense of unease looming over him.

Jareth knew that Sarah couldn't have possibly speaking to him, but it seemed like she had been. It had felt like she was looking straight through him, like she knew. But it couldn't have been.

His mind filled thoughts of Sarah; how could she have spoken to him without summoning a crystal herself? Did it have anything to do with the man that had tried to touch her? She couldn't have. It couldn't be related.

But then why did she do it?

Another knock came from the door and Jareth looked up and shook himself.

He was overreacting. There was nothing going on with Sarah. But as much as he convinced himself, and hardened his face into an angry scowl for the Goblin who was undoubtedly waiting at the door, he couldn't shake the feeling of foreboding.

"Why have you disturbed my sleep?" The Goblin King growled at the door, loud enough that the goblin could hear him. "What do you want?"

He heard a frightened squeak from the other side of the door before a trembling voice answered, "Sorry, kingy, but letter came! Important letter! From 'nother land!"

Jareth's eyes narrowed at that. It was not common to receive a letter from a neighboring Kingdom at this late hour unless it was urgent, and even then, the last letter he had received had been warning against a fugitive who had proven to be innocent.

The King stood and stalked over to the dying fire, and with a wave of his hand, caused the fire to spring to life once more. Then he sat in his armchair and summoned a small glass of wine into his hand.

"Enter," the Goblin King stated, exuding the aura of an owl getting ready to swoop down and catch its prey. And everyone in the Goblin Kingdom knew very well that owls would rip their victims apart alive with their sharp beaks.

The goblin who had been unfortunate enough to have obtained the letter quickly scuttled in, its head lowered so its helmet drooped forward over its eyes and it walked straight into a side table near the King. The frightened little creature with its brown, leathery skin and beady black eyes looked up at its King cautiously, trying to adjust its helmet so it wouldn't fall.

Jareth only watched the creature with his peripheral vision, refusing to look at the thing. When it stared at him for a minute too long, Jareth spoke.

"Place the letter on the table and get out," he said, cold anger lacing his voice.

Gently, the goblin reached up and placed the green envelope on the table, before turning tail and running awkward out of the King's chambers, both hands on its helmet to keep it on.

With a wave of his hand, Jareth caused the door to slam loudly behind the little creature before looking at the envelope.

As soon as he saw the writing on the envelope, Jareth groaned and brought a hand up to pinch his nose.

Adelaide, Queen of the Green Desert, had written him a letter with impeccable timing, no doubt detailing the ultimatum that the Council had given him the day before, and making an offering.

Without even opening the letter, Jareth tossed it into the fire and leaned back as he watched the flame catch and curl the paper, turning it black. But out of the corner of his eye, a flash of green appeared on the table next to him.

Turning sharply, Jareth's eyes were disturbingly met with the green envelope once more. Jareth sneered.

The woman had enchanted the letter so it had to be read. She had anticipated Jareth's immediate disregard for her and had taken measures. Forced his hand.

Reluctantly, Jareth ripped open the letter and began to read.

[1]

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**I have returned from from my several year long hiatus and am going to completely repost this story as a brand new thing. I have deleted the old one, but if you were reading the old version, welcome back. I'm so sorry about the wait. I'm going to try to post a chapter a week.**

**Also, reviews are appreciated, criticism is also welcomed, and if you spot potential grammar or writing errors, I don't mind if you point them out.**

**Lastly, I would appreciate a Beta for this story so that it isn't complete crap and there AREN'T a lot to point out. Thanks for your time, and hopefully you like it. :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer again: I don't own anything that is the Labyrinth, in the Labyrinth, or related to the Labyrinth save maybe an OC or two. MAYBE.**

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Rain came pouring down on the early evening. Sarah walked quickly, a small lump in her throat as she pulled out the small notebook from her purse once more. Carefully leaning her umbrella forwards, she stared at the line she'd written just after she'd woken up that morning.

_He'll come back. He'll take you back there. Watch what you say._

She couldn't believe it. She had been fully aware of what she had been writing, images of her dream flashing before her eyes as she read it again, but Sarah couldn't believe it. Sarah didn't want to believe it.

Sarah didn't want to go back to the Labyrinth. She didn't want the Goblin King to steal her away like he had taken Toby.

With a sigh, Sarah chastised herself and put the book away. It was her fault that Toby had been taken. She had wished him away in a bout of stupid teenage angst and selfishness. And she had done her part in winning Toby back.

The street became familiar with the same old Victorian houses of her childhood, and Sarah couldn't help but smile when she came up to her old block and saw that the lights were on.

As Sarah came up the porch, she heard Toby yelling excitedly, "Sarah's here! Sarah's here!" and Irene trying desperately to calm him down. Sarah smiled and shook her head as she shook off her umbrella before placing it by the door, ringing the doorbell on her way up.

Soon, Sarah's father opened the door, smiling.

"Hi Dad," said Sarah, smiling in return. It felt a little forced, what with everything going on in her head, but she didn't let it falter.

"Sarah, it's so good to see you!" Robert said in return, taking his daughter into his arms for a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek. "How have you been?"

"Okay, working two jobs, but okay," Sarah smile drooped slightly as she looked past her father and saw Irene.

"Hello Irene," the younger woman said a bit stiffly.

"Hello Sarah," Irene's smile was just a little quirk of the lips, but it was a politely tense smile.

They walked into a slightly forced hug and Irene immediately whispered, "Keep your socks on and don't show him, okay? I don't want him getting ideas."

"I know, I know," Sarah muttered back before they separated, drawing their forced smiles back on.

The night Sarah turned eighteen, she snuck out of the house and over to a tattoo parlor with one of her friends that had already turned eighteen. Sarah came home that night to find her father waiting in her room for her and was forced to explain the bandages to him. He then told Irene and she had insisted that as soon as Sarah was out of high school and had a job and place to live, she had to leave the house.

During that time, Irene had created several rules to keep little three year old Toby from finding out about what tattoos were and thinking they were a good idea. First, Sarah had to only wear t-shirts, socks on at all times, and Irene had to approve of any and all pants, shorts, or skirts when they went shopping.

Now, Sarah was only allowed to visit on holidays, birthdays, important family events, and to occasionally babysit Toby when Robert and Irene wanted to have a nice night out; like tonight.

"Sarah!" Toby shouted, running out from the kitchen before leaping into Sarah's arms.

Laughing, Sarah shook off the thoughts and lowered her brother so that his feet were on the ground.

"Hey, little man, have you been good?"

"Yup!" He confirmed, earning a raised eyebrow from his mother. Seeing his mothers face, he immediately became more sheepish. However he didn't admit to anything.

A wry smile crept across Sarah's lips and she shook her head.

"Got caught with your hand in the cookie jar, did you?" Sarah asked, earning surprised looks from everyone else in the room before her father began to laugh.

"That's _exactly_ what happened," Robert snickered, trying to temper his smile as his wife gave him a disapproving look.

The old clock in the hall began to chime, signaling that it was five and Robert and Irene quickly said their goodbyes, telling Sarah about what they had in the house for her to cook for Toby's dinner and headed out the door. Irene threw one last warning over her shoulder in the door, telling them both to be good and obey her rules.

As soon as Sarah saw their car turned the corner, Sarah turned to Toby and they exchanged sly grins before she bolted after him and he ran, screaming in delight.

[2]

Sarah and Toby went a little crazy, running around the house for about 10 minutes before Toby ran off to build a fort and they then pretended Sarah was the invading forces storming his castle with her army of stuffed bears from her childhood bedroom to rescue the brave Sir Lancelot that she claimed Toby held hostage.

When Sarah and her bear army lost, Sarah made her dramatic death and laid perfectly still with her tongue sticking out for a full two minutes while Toby paraded around the living room, happily the Champion of the Pillow War before she launched a sneak attack and threw him over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

Not long after, the siblings settled down and Sarah began asking about Toby's school, friends, and everything else he was doing.

They just talked for a while before Toby got bored and Sarah flicked on the TV for Toby to watch cartoons while she got started on dinner.

[2]

Sarah presented dinner to Toby at the table and he quickly began to inhale his food, but she warned him that if he ate too fast, he'd get a stomachache and then no dessert. This caused Toby's eyes to bulge and he started chewing instead of just swallowing

As they ate, Toby and Sarah chatted a little about his life before she changed the subject suddenly.

"Hey Tobes, do you remember some of those stories I told you when you were little?" Sarah asked, looking him in the eye. He nodded.

"O'course I rmember," the boy answered with a mouthful of food.

Sarah raised an eyebrow, causing him to roll his eyes and swallow.

"Do you remember the one about the Goblin King and the Labyrinth?" Sarah asked tentatively. This was the moment of truth.

"Not really," he said, picking at his vegetables. "I just remember the song he sang to the baby."

Sarah's brow furrowed. There hadn't been any song in the book. Which meant that not only had the Goblin King sung to Toby, but he remembered that night, if only just a little.

With a heavy sigh, Sarah prepared what she had to say.

"Well, the story basically went that a young girl wished away her baby brother in a fit of jealousy and the Goblin King took the baby," Sarah explained, not meeting Toby's eyes, unnerving him. "The Goblin King offered to let her get the baby back, but only if she could make it through the Labyrinth and defeat him, which she only managed to do in the nick of time."

"You forgot something," Toby said, causing Sarah's eyes to snap up to his eyes. At her questioning look, he said, "You forgot that the Goblin King was in love with the girl and that he tried to make her an offer before she left, right?"

Sarah gave him a sad smile.

"That was part of the story," Sarah concurred. Then she took a deep breath. "The truth is, though, _that_ part was only a story… but when I was fifteen I… I said the words and wished you away. I lived the story and I'm so, so sorry."

Toby looked surprised for a second before he said, "You wished me away?"

"Yes and it was a terrible mistake, but I got you back," Sarah explained in a rush, scared that Toby was going to hate her. "I defeated the Labyrinth and–"

"What happened to the Goblin King?"

"What?" Sarah was baffled. Toby seemed completely calm, only curious.

"What happened to the Goblin King after you defeated him?" Toby asked again.

"I-I don't know," Sarah said, her thoughts scattered in a strange mess. "I never bothered to find out."

Toby made a little "hm" noise as he took another bite of food and chewed thoughtfully. His eyes glazed over a little as he stared into space, lost in this thoughts a little.

"So he didn't try to make you an offer?" Toby questioned.

"Actually, he did," Sarah explained. "More than once, but things aren't what they appear in that place. He was trying to trick me into giving you up. I refused his offer and got you back."

"Then the Goblin King didn't love you?" Toby's brow furrowed into an expression that reminded Sarah of Robert when he was trying to make a difficult decision.

"Of course not, Tobes. He didn't even know me. And I was just a child. He couldn't have been in love with me."

Toby's face scrunched up even more and he put more food in his mouth, eating slowly. Sarah began eating again as well, trying to quell the unease building inside of her.

[2]

Sarah and Toby had barely spoken a word to each other since dinner, partly because they had settled into the couch with ice creak and watched Disney's Robin Hood on VHS.

After they had finished their ice cream, Sarah cleaned up the kitchen while Toby finished the movie and once they were both done, Sarah set the movie to rewind and took Toby upstairs to tuck him into bed.

As she sat next to his bed and was wishing him a good night, Toby suddenly spoke again.

"Sarah?"

"Yes, Tobes?"

"I think the Goblin King really did love the girl – I mean you," the boy said, looking Sarah in the eyes. He said with so much certainty and Sarah almost shuddered.

"We've been over this, Toby," Sarah explained, trying to remain calm. "He couldn't have loved me when he didn't even know me."

"But I was thinking," Toby said in a rush, "in fairy-tales, they usually fall in love at first sight, right? He wasn't human right? So maybe he was a fairy and falling in love at first sight isn't so strange!"

Sarah's hands were trembling slightly, but she didn't let it show on her face.

"Things don't work like that, kiddo," said Sarah, shaking her head slightly. He started to argue again, but Sarah stopped him. "I'm sorry, but I just can't believe that he loved me. I'm done talking about this and you need to go to sleep, understood?"

An angry pout crossed Toby's face.

"Promise you'll wake me up when you leave?"

"Only if Irene doesn't stop me."

With that, Sarah leaned forwards and kissed Toby on the forehead.

"Goodnight little man."

"Goodnight Sarah."

As Sarah flicked off the light, she said one small, sad sentence under her breath. "Good bye Toby."

[2]

Sarah stepped into her old bedroom and looked around. The room remained mostly unchanged since the last time she'd been there, which always surprised her as she always expected Irene to have taken the room apart and turn it into a sewing room or something. Sarah suspected her father was behind that, but she'd never asked.

With a heavy feeling in her chest, Sarah approached the vanity. It still held the picture of her mother and her then lover Jeremy on the mirror and a figurine (resembling a certain Goblin King) that Sarah knew she had dropped in the trashcan every time she was here, yet always made it's way back onto the surface with several old toys and trinkets that Sarah either had no use for or didn't want anymore

Carefully, Sarah eased herself into the old chair and leaned over the surface of the vanity, gazing into the mirror, hoping to see something other than herself before muttering, "Hoggle, I need you."

She waited with baited breath, carefully inspecting the room behind her in the reflective surface, but nothing happened. One minute passed, then ten, and still nothing happened. No Hoggle. Sarah tried again with Sir Didymus and Ludo, and even the Old Wiseman, the Worm, and Ambrosius, Sir Didymus' canine steed.

After an hour sitting at her vanity and nothing happening, Sarah let out a sigh. She couldn't talk to them for some reason, but she had known it would be like this.

Her mind went to the dream that she'd had the night before and could feel the weight in her chest growing with each passing minute.

_Sarah was standing in the middle of a room made of tan stones. It was circular, with a small pit in the middle that housed drunk, sleeping goblins and a few black chickens. Behind the pit was a throne that curved in an elegant, gothic-fantasy style. Behind her there was a small window that looked out over the Labyrinth and Goblin City._

_Her hair and clothes were soaked, her faces flushed and her chest rapidly rising, desperately looking for a way out. It was all written on her face. This couldn't be happening. This just couldn't be happening._

_Sarah darted towards the door that she suspected she had come in through seven years ago, but she before she could reach it, _HE _appeared._

_He looked the same after seven years. A man in his prime, wild blond hair sticking up in a giant puffball of floof, a trademark smirk on his lips, and his mismatched eyes gazing down at her. He wore his Goblin King armor, blacks and royal blues from head to toe, black leather knee-high boots and gloves, and a black breastplate with what Sarah suspected was his seal engraved into it._

"_Ah-ah, Sarah-mine," the man taunted, waggling his finger at her. "You're not getting away this time."_

"_Y-you can't keep me here!" Sarah argued back. "I demand you send me home immediately Goblin King! You have no power over me!"_

_She saw the Goblin King flinch slightly, but shivered slightly as his eyes racked their way up her form._

"_Send me home now!" She demanded again, setting her face in cold rage._

_Suddenly, the Goblin King was in her face staring her down, grabbing her chin with one gloved hand._

"_Sorry, little girl," he warned, what little humor he'd had before was gone. "But that's not how this works. You belong to me now."_

"_I belong to no one!" Sarah argued, shoving his hand away before pushing him. "Least of all you! I am not property and you _cannot _keep me here, no matter what you and your giant ego might thi–"_

_The Goblin King cut her off in an instant, grabbing her roughly by both wrists and pinning her against a wall that had formerly been across from her. As Sarah cried out in pain, the man pressed his lips to her, shocking her into fear and silence._

_A moment later, he pulled away and smirked._

"_You do belong to me," he stated. "Whether you like it or not."_

_Before he could say another word, Sarah's knee collided with his unprotected crotch and ran as soon as his grip had slackened, heading out the closest door._

Sarah felt hands trembling. She didn't want that to happen. She couldn't let that happen. If this dream were anything like the others she'd had over the last seven years, dreams that always seemed to come true if she didn't interfere, then there would be major consequences if she tried to stop it.

With a deep, shuddering breath, Sarah stood, pushing away from her vanity, and left her childhood bedroom, silently praying this wasn't the last time she'd get to see it again.

As soon as she flicked the light off, a crack of thunder echoed through the house with a flash of lightning, causing Sarah to jump and start rushing through the house to make sure all the windows and doors were locked so no pesky owls tried to get in.

[2]

When Robert and Irene finally got home, Sarah had calmed down and was busy counting between the rolling thunders.

Robert apologized almost immediately, having borrowed Sarah's umbrella and accidentally left it at the restaurant. Sarah merely sighed and told him it was fine. Sarah didn't bother to ask if she could say goodbye to Toby, she already knew that Irene would say no, and she didn't want to wake him unnecessarily.

Sarah bid them her farewells. She tried not to sound cryptic as she said them, but she could see a look of concern on her fathers face.

On the porch, away from Irene's eyes, Robert checked on Sarah, asking if everything was alright, but she assured him that everything was fine. She promised to see him again soon, gave him a kiss on the cheek, and ran out into the rain, heading towards her bus stop, hoping to get to the shelter before the bus did or she got soaked to the bone.

[2]

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Hey guys, did some editing. Once again, looking for a beta and I will be updating once a week, always on monday evenings (or tuesday mornings depending on your timezone). Seriously, though, if you would like to be my beta, I would really appreciate it, or if you know someone who COULD be my beta, that would be fantastic. It would be better if I could get one before next monday so they could help edit chapter three (I actually have up to chapter seven written).

As always, thanks for reviews, follows, and favorites.


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry for the late post. Two quick things.**

**First, I don't own Labyrinth. Never have, never will. Bits and pieces can be claimed by mwah, but eh, that comes a bit later.**

**Second, special thank you shout-out to the amazing tmwillson3, who has graciously become my Beta! You can thank her for the improved quality of this chapter over the other two! :)**

**Now enjoy!**

* * *

Sarah had missed the bus by one minute because she had the displeasure of accidentally tripping into a puddle, and she was now soaked from head to toe. Her normally near-black hair was now shining black in the rain under the streetlights.

She shivered, the air colder than she thought it should be for this time of year, even with rain. In an effort to stay warm, Sarah hopped from foot to foot, doing what could be interpreted as a little dance, in the shelter of the bus stop. It did little good, however.

Her thoughts turned back to her friends. In truth, Sarah hadn't been able to contact them since she was in high school, but she had always suspected that it was due to the fact that it had be through the vanity in her childhood home. Now Sarah wondered why she couldn't contact them anymore.

Perhaps she had grown too old for them? Or maybe they didn't want to talk to her anymore? Sarah didn't completely understand the reason, but she hoped that if she ever _did_ see them again, they would continue to be her friends.

Sarah considered going back to her father's house and asking to stay the night, but she quickly shoved that idea aside, insisting to herself that she needed to get home. A good night's sleep in her own bed would make her feel better.

A flash of lightning sprung to life just a few feet from the bus stop, causing Sarah to jump in fear.

This whole thing was too much like _that night_ for Sarah to feel entirely comfortable… but then Toby's words started rolling around her head again.

The Goblin King? In love with her? She scoffed at the idea. What little she knew of the man, he was egotistical, proud, and a sore loser. Plus, from what she had read up about Fae (which she assumed she was), they either didn't love, or if they did, it was either a dangerous game to play or they didn't love the same way as humans.

But the dream entered her mind. He had- would- might kiss her, if only to shut her up.

Sarah wagered that the Goblin King was probably sexually attracted to her, thus his interest in her and that kiss. She pursed her lips, remembering that she was only fifteen when they first met.

Granted, the Goblin King was who knows how old. The man could easily not care about her age so long as she was physically (mostly) an adult. She doubted he was anything worse, but Sarah didn't know anything about him, so she hadn't a clue.

A cold, harsh wind blew through the shelter, causing Sarah's hair to whip around her head and slap against her face.

Shivering, her mind wandered back to Hoggle and her friends.

With a sigh, she rested her head against some glass and said, "I wish I could see my friends again."

A moment later, Sarah heard a little snicker from under the shelter's bench and her eyes went wide.

What had she done?

[3]

Jareth was pacing in his study, turning a crystal in his hand, trying to think of a way to avoid the obligation he had of inviting the witch, Adelaide, to the Equinox Ball that he was hosting this year.

Her letter had done more than Jareth had predicted. Not only did she bring up his ultimatum and implied offering "assistance", but also she commented on the Ball and made it very clear to him that she expected to come and hoped that he would offer her a dance should she show up unescorted.

This was a very daring suggestion of something with a bold meaning. An unescorted woman dancing with an unescorted man implied either a courtship or an affair. Either way, it was scandalous, and the council would likely force his hand on the matter.

Jareth growled to himself. If only Sarah had accepted his offer all those years ago. He wouldn't be in this position now.

Jareth turned the crystal to see Sarah watching over Toby while he slept. She looked conflicted as she gazed at her brother, but before Jareth could get drawn in by her again, he twisted the crystal again so that she was no longer in view.

Then a knock came at the door.

"Enter," the King answered gruffly, calmly dispatching the crystal and seating himself behind his desk once more.

An elf entered the room, carrying a tray of food.

"I have brought a meal for His Highness," the short creature explained, performing a rather impressive curtsy considering she was balancing the tray on one hand.

"Leave it on the desk," Jareth ordered, uninterestedly waving his hand towards the empty space. The creature swiftly and efficiently wove her way through the room, placed the food before her King, and backed out of the door.

Once the elf had left, Jareth turned his attention to the window, from which he saw the Labyrinth, stretching out in the horizon, below which the sun was beginning to dip.

Then he heard, clear as a bell, a voice Jareth knew too well.

"I wish I could see my friends again."

A cruel grin spread across the Goblin King's face, and it felt as though his innards were quivering with excitement. He had received a wish, and he was honored-bound to fulfill it… but just how was up to him.

Jareth snapped his fingers, and in an instant, he was wearing his Goblin King regalia, his midnight blue cape swirling around him in an unknown wind. With the next snap of his fingers, he stood in his throne room, surrounded by goblins, and a few of their… chickens.

With a sneer, Jareth delivered a swift kick to the nearest goblin, sending it flying into the wall and drawing the attention of the rest of the (conscious) goblins.

"We have a wish," the Goblin King announced smugly. "Sarah Williams is going to return to us."

There was a confused and rowdy cheer throughout the room. Jareth raised his hand, causing silence once more.

"Why don't we give her a proper greeting, hm?"

The goblins snickered, understanding the mischief they were to perform, and soon, most of the goblins had disappeared to the mortal world as Jareth summoned a crystal to gaze in on Sarah once more.

Her look of fear was all he needed to see to know that she understood what she had done.

[3]

As Sarah heard the harsh little laughter of goblins surrounding her, she panicked. Sarah whipped around, trying to catch sight of one, but she saw nothing.

Then she felt little hands clamp down on her and _pinch_ her, and she jerked away, only to find three others doing to the same. Sarah tried to move away from the shelter, but the goblins were too quick and herded her with pinches and tugs on her pants, coat, and purse into an area that only made her more vulnerable to their attacks.

One goblin reached up and grabbed her hair, yanking hard, causing Sarah to cry out while another goblin grabbed her purse and managed to pull it from her grip, scattering the contents across the ground. They darted around her, chanting words that the woman could only catch snippets of:

"Lady comin' back."

"–saya right words–"

"–Kingy happy–"

"–Lady–"

"–Lady–"

"–Lady–"

"_Enough!_" Sarah screamed suddenly. To her surprise, the goblins obeyed, stopping mid-run, some falling over or running into each other, letting Sarah get a look at them for a moment.

Taking her chance, Sarah used their distraction by taking off at a dead run towards her father's house. She desperately hoped that Robert and Irene's disbelief in the magical would keep the little goblins at bay.

Not even halfway down the block, Sarah heard a screech. A flash of white feathers landed in front of her and was quickly followed by a blinding light and a strong gust of wind whipping around her again.

Sarah's arms came up as though to shield herself from the wind, closing her eyes against the light. As it died, the rain running down her back and the curve of her spine, Sarah opened her eyes, only to have them meet the Goblin King's.

He stood there in all his splendor, just as she remembered and how she had dreamed, unaffected by the rain in his armor of black and blue. The wind whipped his cape around dramatically, and somewhere in the back of her mind, Sarah suspected that it was on purpose.

The Goblin King smirked at her, his mismatched eyes locked firmly onto her face.

"No!" Sarah screamed, turning to run again, this time looking towards the street. "You can't do this to me! NO!"

Before her feet could even leave the sidewalk, the Goblin King grabbed her arm and yanked her to face him once more.

Sarah was trembling and behind her, she could hear the goblins snickering again.

"Hello again, Precious," said the Goblin King, his voice like the gentle caress of the flat side of a blade. "Why don't we get you out of this rain."

A scream tore from Sarah's throat, but it was silenced by the disappearance of the two people and a dozen or so goblins from the sidewalk.

The night fell silent once more, save for the sound of rain pouring down across the sidewalks, into the storm drains, on windows and in rain gutters. Her scream was unheard in the dead of night.

And no one knew that Sarah Williams had just been stolen away to another world.

[3]

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**Did I do good with the dramatic ending? Mwahahahahahahaha! *ahem* anyways, please read and review, feel free to be a critic (everyone loves to), and have a wonderful day/night/life!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer dance: I own nothing Labyrinthy. Don't sue me.**

**Once again, special thanks to my Beta, tmwillson3. She's such a huge help, you wouldn't believe.**

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Jareth watched Sarah's panic-stricken form as she turned this way and that in his throne room. Her eyes flashed across the stones and briefly across the goblins that lay in their drunken stupor.

Her clothes were deliciously soaked through, her pale, green shirt clinging to her curves as her wet hair flapped around her face. He could see her thinking to make an escape, and no sooner had she darted towards the doorway she had entered the throne room through seven years ago than Jareth willed himself to appear within it.

"Ah-ah, Sarah-mine," Jareth warned her at her look of surprise, lifting a gloved finger to wave it at her. "You're not getting away this time."

"Y-you can't keep me here!" Sarah argued back, unable to keep the shake from her voice. "I demand you send me home immediately Goblin King! You have no power over me!"

Jareth flinched at the words that had defeated him once, but couldn't help but rake his eyes up her form.

It was the first time he'd been able to see her up close after all this time. Her body was curved in all the right places and her face now rivaled even a Fae's in beauty. Her eyes, dancing emeralds of fire, gazed at him with such passionate emotions it was hard not to be drawn in by this girl.

"Send me home now!" Sarah demanded again, setting her face in cold rage, trying desperately to mask her fear.

Jareth took a few swift strides and was soon standing over her with her chin firmly caught in his grip.

"Sorry, Precious," he warned. He didn't know what Fates had allowed him to fetch her over such a wish, but what's said is said. And now he had her. He was not letting her go again. "But that's not how this works. You belong to me now."

"I belong to no one!" Sarah shouted, her eyes glowing bright with her fire as she shoved him away. "Least of all you! I am not property, and you _cannot_ keep me here, no matter what you and your giant ego might thi–"

Jareth cut off her beautiful mouth and sharp tongue by grabbing her by both wrists and pinning her against the nearest wall. As Sarah cried in pain, Jareth felt a twinge of guilt, but planted his lips firmly onto hers, causing her to freeze and go completely silent.

This close, Jareth could smell that the rain had imbued the scent of spring into her skin, and the softness of her lips almost caused him to groan. This was something he'd always wanted from her.

After a moment, Jareth pulled away and smirked at her. In any other situation, he would have wanted to grin and rest his forehead against hers, but Jareth felt too triumphant to care.

"You do belong to me," he told her. "Whether you like it or not."

She looked shocked and hurt for a moment, but as Jareth removed a hand from her wrist to caress her face, in an attempt to provide some miniscule comfort to her, Sarah's face twisted in rage. Her body jerked, immediately preceding a wave of nauseating pain that washed up from his groin into his abdomen.

Instinctively, Jareth hunched over slightly, his grip on Sarah loosening as he tried to pull his mind out of the pain.

Jareth felt her wrist slip out of his fingertips like water and looked up to see her running out the nearest door at a full sprint.

"Sarah!" Jareth called out hoarsely after her. "Sarah!"

But she was gone.

Jareth carefully attempted to compose himself through the pain and limped over to his throne. He sat slowly, carefully throwing one leg over the side while he rested his head on the other and summoned a crystal to watch her through.

He couldn't just let her come to harm, now could he?

[4]

The halls all looked the same, and several times Sarah wasn't sure if she was even heading out of the castle, or just further into it. More often than not, Sarah thought she was running in circles, but she refused to give up. She was nothing if not stubborn.

Sarah had passed several paintings and tapestries, she secretly cursed her inability to stop to admire. From the glimpses that she'd caught, the paintings were often of haughty and gorgeous people that Sarah assumed were like the Goblin King, or possibly even his family or ancestors.

The tapestries had looked even more gorgeous, displaying what were likely historical events and children's tales in their intricate weavings. There had been dragons and goblins and several other things that Sarah just wasn't sure if her eyes had deceived her or not, but she couldn't go back and double-check it.

For some reason, Sarah had it in her head that if she just ran hard and fast enough, she'd find her way out and the Goblin King wouldn't be able to find her, or he wouldn't have any power over her again.

The sound of clanking armor caught Sarah's attention, and she quickly ducked into a small niche in the wall behind the statue of what Sarah could only guess was a spirit of the air, what with the way that her clothes looked like they were caught in a frozen wind.

Two large goblins lumbered past, carrying those little pink, bite-y creatures attached to sticks that had been used to torture Ludo when she'd first rescued him. The little things made gnashing sounds while the goblins sung some ugly song about what horses did in fields.

Much to her dismay, one goblin accidentally stepped on the other one's foot, and they began to argue, which quickly deteriorated to them hitting each other with their sticks. The longer this went on, the more anxious Sarah became.

Frustrated, Sarah leaned against the back wall in the niche and suddenly felt the stones give a little. Startled, Sarah stood again, and after checking to make sure the goblins were still preoccupied, Sarah pushed against the wall, feeling it move away until it revealed a hidden passage.

A flicker of hope swelled within her as she took off down the passage, thinking that surely a secret passage like this would lead to the outside. If it did, that would mean Sarah would just have to get to the Labyrinth, find Hoggle, and have him help her get home.

[4]

When Sarah found the secret passage behind the statue, Jareth scowled lightly. She was always uncomfortably lucky, but she shouldn't have been able to find that one at all. It was a passageway that was only supposed to respond to Labyrinth magic, which by all accounts, only he was capable of wielding.

The squeak of Sarah's shoes grinding to a halt brought Jareth out of his thoughts, and he noted her look of distress.

Twisting the crystal, he found that she had managed to trap herself in the Escher Room. Jareth chuckled. It was only a matter of time before she wore herself out.

He twisted the crystal back so that he could watch Sarah as she steeled herself, as she started down the nearest flight of stairs, trying to find the way out.

She ran up and down countless flights of stairs, even stepping off the sides a few time, only to find herself standing upright on another platform or set of stairs. She never stopped moving, trying to find a way out.

Then, after about an hour, Sarah tripped on the stairs and only just barely managed to catch herself with one hand and an elbow. Jareth noted the blood on the stone as she began to get back up and felt a little niggling worry, but pushed it aside. She would be fine; it was just a scratch.

[4]

Sarah let out a small angry, groan before shaking her head and sitting on the stairs to inspect the damage. In truth, it looked worse than it was, and it was just some skin that had been roughed up. The worst of it was just the sting.

Taking off her now dry jacket, Sarah pulled a small packet of tissues out of a pocket and began to apply pressure on the wound.

Suddenly, Sarah felt a burning sensation in her hip. At first, Sarah excused the pain as a cramp as it started out light, but as Sarah went to stand up, it grew more intense and forced Sarah to sit once more with a cry of pain.

Desperately, Sarah pulled up her shirt lightly and pulled the edge of her pants down to see what was causing her pain, and what she saw, she didn't quite believe. Burning in a tan yellow light was one of Sarah's tattoos, a small omega symbol, originally inked in black.

"Wha-what the hell?!" Sarah gasped in pain. What was going on?!

Then the Goblin King was standing before her, a mix of emotions on his face.

"You did this, didn't you?!" Sarah half-screamed at him, forcing herself to stand and glare at him. His eyes didn't leave her hip. "What are you trying to do?! Brand me like cattle?!"

"You don't know what you're dealing with, little girl!" the Goblin King snapped back in a fierce growl.

The Goblin King grabbed her by the shoulders tightly and the next moment, they were standing in a lavish bedroom. Without hesitating, the Fae hoisted Sarah up over his shoulder, much as she had done with Toby earlier that night, before depositing her roughly on the canopy bed.

Sarah instantly began to scramble away from him in fear. She didn't know what he intended, but she hardly thought that being alone with him in a _bedroom_ was a good idea.

The Goblin King rolled his eyes before snapping his fingers and summoning a lanky young man with sandy hair, brown eyes, and freckles that looked genuinely confused to be there.

"She bears the Mark of the Champion," the Goblin King growled at the young man, indicating to Sarah with a nod. "It's only just starting to appear. Give her something for the initial pain, treat her hand, then return to your duties. Understood?"

"Yes, Your Highness," the young man answered, taking a low bow, confusion and uncertainty not moving from his eyes.

The Goblin King disappeared in a shower of glitter a moment later, leaving Sarah to wonder what that was all about before crying out in pain once again as it became more intense.

The tattoo had been placed right on top of her hipbone, which had hurt a great deal when she'd gone to the tattoo parlor at 18, but that didn't even compare to this.

Sarah heard the sound of feet rush to her side, and the man suddenly came into view, concern and surprise covering his face.

"Lady Sarah, my name is Arryn," he explained, panic clear on his face. "I'm a healer. I'm going to help you sit up and give you a potion, which I'm going to need you to drink."

"Why?" Sarah asked, her vision starting to become blurry.

"It will help the process of your Mark's development and make the pain go away. Do you understand?"

Sarah nodded slightly before feeling an arm on her back helping to pull her up into a sitting position while Sarah used her own hands as supports.

Once up, Arryn handed her a small bottle with a foul-smelling red liquid. Sarah's face twisted in disgust, but Arryn forced her hand towards her mouth. Reluctantly, Sarah put the glass to her lips, held her breath, and poured the foul liquid down her throat. The faster it was gone, the sooner she wouldn't have to taste it anymore.

After a moment, the pain disappeared. Just as Sarah was turning to thank Arryn for his help, her vision went black and she suddenly understood why the Goblin King had placed her on the bed. He'd known this would happen.

[4]

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**Alright, so read and review as you wish. Be a critic, I welcome the chance to improve. Sorry about the slight delay with this chapter, I almost forgot to upload this week. Heheh. Oops. Well, once again, I update once weekly, and hooray! New chapter!**

**(Things are going to slow down a bit in the upcoming chapters. The next few ****should mostly be explaining stuffs.)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys! Sorry this is late, my Beta, tmwillson3, had a really rough week, so send her love and thanks for the edits and always making these chapters better. Also, I got fired, so that's... something.**

**Anyways, here's the new chapter, I don't own anything aside from maybe Adelaide and Raineruima (who are being introduced this chapter). MAYBE.**

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_There was woman with platinum blond hair, and icy blue eyes, whose body stretched out across a couch, displaying her figure in such a way that most men were likely to ogle her openly. She gently played with her hair, weaving intricate patterns over and over again until she reached the ends, and simply twirled a finger at it, causing a perfect little gold ribbon to tie itself into a little bow around the end._

_Her dress was cut low to show off her breasts, and her corset forced them up so that they were practically on display. The dress was as gold as the ribbons in her hair with accents of blood red down her sleeves and around her waist. The skirt tangled a bit in the woman's slender legs, which were partially visible because of the way that she had arranged herself._

_The woman's aura screamed "better than you," as though nobility was seeping from her pores._

_The room, set in blacks, blues, and silver, practically shone. The stone floor was covered with an intricately woven, gorgeously colored, thick rug; a few bookcases lined the walls, with titles that no one from the mortal world would have ever known. The couch was made ebony and blue cloth, and on one end of it was an end table made of wood as black as night._

_At the far end of the room directly across from a door that could only be presumed led to a hallway, was a desk, papers shoved here or there, a few books, an inkwell, quill, bowl of sand, and a high-backed chair resting behind it._

_Beyond the desk, at the chair's back, was a window, tall and wide that started at mid-thigh level, and ended just below the ceiling. The view was also breathtaking, displaying an extraordinary view of the Labyrinth._

_Yet, if one were to look at the beautiful woman's face, they would clearly be able to see how bored and disinterested she was. Her face was as cold as her eyes, and it was Sarah's belief that if this woman was crossed, her eyes would cut through you like broken glass._

_Sarah snapped to awareness within the dream, wondering where in the world she was and how she had gotten there. Whoever she was, the woman looked dangerous._

_Instinctively, Sarah knew that this woman sought power by any means necessary, although, if the woman's red lipstick was any kind of indicator, she preferred seduction._

_There was a shift in the air, and just like that, the Goblin King appeared in the room. At the sight of the woman, his mouth curled into a sneer and he spoke, clear reluctance and venom lacing his voice. He took a small, elegant bow._

"_Queen Adelaide. To what do I owe the pleasure?"_

"_Why, I think it would be obvious, King Jareth, dear," her voice thick with sickeningly-sweet honey that almost made Sarah gag._

_The world began to swirl in colors and light, spinning and spinning until Sarah was watching herself cry._

_She was wearing a gown not all that different from Adelaide's, but it was slightly more modest, and emerald green with silver trim and a silver decorative belt that looked like a slim rope._

_She was on a balcony on the side of the Castle, and watching the Labyrinth._

_The other her sniffled slightly, then said out loud to no one in particular, "There's no escaping the Labyrinth. He won't let you. The only thing you can do is hide your other tattoos from him and make him complete your wish. He won't let you go home, but you can make him do it."_

_She saw herself curl into a ball from where she was sitting on the ground._

_Then she felt the ground slip away, and she was falling._

[5]

When Sarah opened her eyes, above her was a canopy of fabric that looked like sunlight trickling in through the leaves, and actual sunlight shone in bright pillars from the window. Sarah knew that she wasn't in her world from one look around the room.

And it was a beautiful room.

Greens and blacks and silvers covered the room, from the canopy bed to the curtains, and even the vanity and the armoire. It all seemed to be plant life-themed, as well, as there were shining silver flowers embedded into any piece of wood visible in the room, and the largest and most apparent, being at the top of the vanity mirror, looking like a silver rose that had just bloomed for the morning sun.

Sarah forced herself to remain calm for the moment, but she now knew for some reason that everything was now hopeless.

The young woman slipped out of bed, delicately placing her sock-covered feet onto the stone floor and slipped over to the vanity. Inside were several dresses hanging, and Sarah took one, noting out of the corner of her eye a door.

Carrying the dress, Sarah found herself in a bathroom with modern appliances and had a vague niggling in the back of her mind that perhaps this was not normal, but shoved it aside in favor of the large claw-footed tub.

She turned the water on, found the right temperature, then began to let it fill up the porcelain tub while she investigated the bath oils. Sniffing each one, Sarah found one that smelled like a pleasant summer day and quickly poured about three teaspoons into the water and disrobed, being careful to hang the dress on the other side of the room so that it wouldn't get wet.

After Sarah was sitting in the warm water as it continued to fill the massive tub, Sarah began to cry quietly.

Sarah didn't know what would happen to her family; she didn't know what would happen to Toby. She didn't even know if she would be missed, or if her stupid wish would have erased her from her world forever.

What Sarah did know was that the Goblin King could've found her and brought her back to him at any moment, and there would have been nothing that she could have done about it. Just like he already had.

Despair filled Sarah's heart as she began to think the worst.

What if Sarah ever did manage to get back to her family, and they had no idea who she was and had her locked away because they thought she was insane? Or what if they thought she'd been kidnapped and murdered? Would they search for her?

How would her father react?

Sobs began to rack Sarah's frame as she tried to hold them, but they were stronger than her will. Soon, she was sobbing into her hands, salty tears dripping into the water one by one.

Sarah knew she'd have to find another way to fight the Goblin King, but for the time being, all Sarah could do was let the tears flow.

Odds were, Sarah would never see her family again, and that hurt her more than when she'd found out her mother had abandoned her for her acting career. It hurt her more than anything else Sarah had ever known. She was as good as dead.

So the tears flowed, cries escaped her throat, but no one heard her over the sound of the faucet running.

[5]

Jareth paced all in a rage. She had the Mark of the Champion. _Of course_ she had the Mark of the Champion! She had defeated the Labyrinth after all! It only made sense!

Groaning, Jareth came to a stop in front of his throne and pinched the bridge of his nose. How had he not seen this coming? He'd always just assumed that because he "had no power over her" she would never return to the Underground, and she would never be able to claim her Champion title.

Now that was proving to be completely incorrect.

Hearing the birds sing, Jareth stalked over to the window, lightly kicking a few goblins out of the way with his boots. When he saw the shadow of the castle, he knew that it was now morning, and he had been up all night thinking.

Thinking about that girl, about Sarah. How she had caused him nothing but trouble from the first moment he'd laid eyes upon her. That beautiful, stubborn girl.

Besides that, her timing couldn't have been worse. The Spring Equinox Ball was now only a week away, and with Mark of the Champion appearing upon her meant only that she would have to attend unless Jareth could find some loophole that would keep her away.

One way popped into his head immediately, but Jareth would never allow it. Jareth could allow Sarah to meet with her friends as her wish had stipulated and then send her back to her world; Jareth was unwilling to do that. She was in his domain now; he was not letting her leave again.

Jareth secretly wished that Sarah had only waited another week before she'd made her foolish wish. It would have given him more time.

With a snap of his fingers, Jareth was back in his study once more, only to discover a visitor already waiting for him. And an unwanted visitor at that.

"Queen Adelaide," Jareth greeted with a sneer, giving a slight, mocking bow. "To what do I owe the," Jareth forced the last word out with disgust, "pleasure?"

The woman lounging on the couch under a bookshelf looked up at Jareth with her icy blue eyes and smiled lightly. An inviting and seductive smile was accompanied by a hooded gaze that looked completely at ease on her porcelain face.

"Why, I think it would be obvious, King Jareth, dear," Adelaide said, extending a hand out to Jareth, telling him to help her up.

Like a gentleman, Jareth complied, only to have Adelaide pull herself right up against his chest.

"I was eager to see you," Adelaide murmured huskily, a hand running down his chest. "The anticipation of the Ball being so near, I just couldn't help myself. I was even considering giving you a little… sample, of what is to come."

Her eyes locked hungrily onto his lips, and did a small, sensual lip lick, trying to draw his attention to hers. Jareth rolled his eyes and stepped away from the woman, stalking over to stand behind his desk.

"What makes you think I even _want_ what you are offering?" Jareth asked in a cold diplomatic voice. "As I recall, no good ever comes of two monarchs wedding each other. There's always a fight for power that results in endless death and the downfall of both lands."

"Oh, but Jareth," Adelaide began, "think of what we could do together–"

"That is _King_ Jareth, to you," he spat. "I am also the High Prince, and that position demands your respect. As you have disrespected both my position, and that of my father, you are not welcomed in _my_ Kingdom until the Ball."

Adelaide's mortified face was worth the politics he would have to play later as he waved his hand and forcibly removed her from his kingdom.

Running a frustrated hand down his face, Jareth glared at the spot where she had been.

That woman had a bad habit of latching onto the strongest male that she could find, whether her attentions were welcomed or not, so long as she believed she had a chance of using them.

Adelaide had attempted to hide her… illicit activities, but over time, Jareth and his family had noticed a pattern with her. Jareth had attempted to make it clear to her again and again that he was not going to fall into her honey-laced trap, for he knew better.

No matter how desperate he might be.

[5]

After Sarah had thoroughly scrubbed herself, forcing herself not to cry anymore, she climbed out of the bath and dried so not an inch of skin was damp anymore before wrapping her hair up in a towel.

Slowly, Sarah made her way over to the sink and went searching through the drawers, finding, to her surprise, a toothbrush and toothpaste awaiting her, along with various hair accessories, including intricately designed clips made of precious metals and ribbons.

Sarah picked carefully through the hair accessories before she found a simpler silver one that would match well with her dress.

Honestly, Sarah was starting to feel a little silly as she realized that as soon as she was dressed, she was going to match the bedroom on the other side of the door, but nonetheless, Sarah pulled the dress on carefully, trying to make sure that it wouldn't get wet or dirty.

It wasn't until Sarah's hands went back to pull up the zipper that Sarah realized her mistake. Of the few dresses of the Underground she had seen between the peach incident and the vision she'd had of Adelaide, it was clear to her that it was all medieval fashion. This meant corsets and tie dresses that Sarah would be unable to manage alone.

Now she was at a loss of what to do. She didn't want to go out of the room to find someone to assist her, but Sarah definitely didn't want to call on _him_. Sarah slipped out into the bedroom and began to wander around, ignoring the cool breeze on her back.

After going through several drawers in the armoire, Sarah discovered slippers, various fashionable belts, a pair of riding pants, and a few shirts and vests that Sarah suspected were only there for special occasions.

In another drawer, Sarah discovered a few colorful corsets, that Sarah had no confidence to wear or even attempt to put on, and a small drawer of fresh panties, which Sarah gratefully sorted through, finding a pair that she deemed suitable before slipping back into the bathroom to change them as well as put on a pair of pantaloons that she found at the bottom of the drawer.

As soon as she had slipped them on, she left the bathroom once more, only to hear a knock on the door.

Hastily, Sarah threw the towel around her hair aside and used it to cover the tattoo on her back.

"W-who is it?" she called through the door. Sarah didn't think it likely that the Goblin King would knock if he wanted to see her, but she didn't want to risk it if she could.

"I am Raineruima," a female voice said through the door. "I am an elf King Jareth has asked to help you dress."

"Really?" asked Sarah. This didn't seem quite right. Sarah couldn't put her finger on it, but something about this seemed wrong.

"Yes," the woman said, still on the other side of the door. Her voice almost sounded annoyed, as though explaining to a child. "You are to dine with the King for his midday meal. He wanted to make sure that were adequately dressed."

_Oh_, Sarah thought, a little grumpy all of the sudden. _He just doesn't want me to embarrass him by showing up dressed wrong_.

Sarah walked over to the door, ignoring her anger and appreciating the fact that she wouldn't feel like her back was exposed anymore, and quickly opened the door.

The woman was surprised when Sarah opened the door and that she was already almost perfectly dressed, but Sarah was surprised by the woman's appearance.

When she had said "elf", Sarah had presumed a tall, lanky, woman with long, flowing hair and green or brown eyes, like the trees of the forest. Instead, the woman before her was only about four feet tall, and her face was round; her mousy brown hair was tied up in a tight bun atop her head, and her eyes were dark like coals. She looked more like a dwarf than what Sarah knew of an elf, the only real difference being that while Hoggle's skin had been rough and leathery, tanned deeply by the sun, this woman's skin was smooth like a baby's bottom and green.

After a moment of staring at each other in surprise, Sarah apologized and stepped aside, allowing the little woman to walk in.

"I'm impressed that you already picked yourself out a dress," the woman stated.

"Um, thanks," said Sarah, _I think_. "I couldn't get the laces in the back, though."

"I see," the woman sighed, annoyance crossing her face slightly. "Go sit on that chair. I will have you done up in no time."

When Sarah didn't move, frustrated at being ordered around, the woman grabbed Sarah's arm and dragged her over to the chair and roughly forced her to sit. Before Sarah could protest, the woman grabbed Sarah's hair, now almost dry to the touch, and tossed it over her right shoulder, only to let out a gasp of shock.

"What's wrong?!" Sarah asked, suddenly very worried.

"A silver Elven Star," the woman breathed. Raineruima couldn't rightly believe her eyes. An Elven Star was a seven-pointed star said to represent the power that elves had once claimed over foresight and intuition as a form of magic, but had since been lost to their people. But rarer still was a silver star, which was said to stand for the most powerful magic of all.

"The Mark of a Dreamseer."

[5]

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**Okay, hey guys, what's up? Slower chapter, I know, the last two were a little... action-y (that's not a word). So, again, sorry about being late, thanks for reading, and reviews are appreciated.**

**Also, quickly warning, there might be a brief... break between chapter six and chapter seven as I'm still working on writing chapter seven and I'm facing a small block. I know where I want to go with this story (at least partially) but I just don't know how to get there. Like a map maker or something. Heh. *sighs***

**If you get impatient waiting for any future chapter, go ahead and read some of the Laby one-shots I've written (there's two). One's fluffy (The Ballroom Reversed) and ones really sad, so not of the faint of heart (The Love of the Goblin King). (I'm not really the best with titles.)**

**Thanks for reading, please review, and have a nice night. :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm just not good with deadlines for some reason. Oh well. Here's the new chapter.**

**Disclaimer Dance: I own nothing, thank you very much.**

**And as ****always, thanks to my fantastic and lovely BETA, tmwillson3. If you haven't checked her out already, you should. After you finish this chapter anyways.**

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"I'm sorry, a what?" Sarah asked, gooseflesh rising on her back. She had a very bad feeling about this.

"Child, do you not know what you are?" Raineruima asked, shock showing clearly on her face. Sarah watched the woman through the mirror as she took a step back and shook her head, wide-eyed. "How can this be? Have you never received a vision before?"

Sarah tensed automatically.

"That," Sarah paused, "might depend. What do you mean by, 'vision?'"

Raineruima looked at the girl's reflection and saw the worry and fear etched in her face.

"A Dreamseer is what the name implies," Raineruima explained. "A person who may see the future in their dreams. How could you have not known?"

"Well, it's not like I grew up in the Underground," Sarah explained, trying to mask her fear with frustration. "Besides that, that star isn't silver. It's black. It was a tattoo I got when I was eighteen."

Raineruima's brow furrowed. Quickly, she stepped over to the vanity, grabbed a hand mirror from its surface, and held it up behind Sarah so that she could see.

Sarah's eyes went wide.

"I-wha-how-but it _was_ black! I swear! How did it- I mean- what?!" Sarah was beyond flabbergasted. How?! Tattoos didn't just change color! They couldn't! This made no sense and the more she thought about it, the more confused she became.

Then another thought struck her, but it couldn't have been. Sarah hoisted her right foot up over her knee and looked at the bottom of her foot. On the sole was a dove, flying forwards, but all Sarah saw was that the color had changed to a bright, pale blue.

As Sarah let her foot drop back down, she caught sight of both her face and the elf woman's. Sarah looked almost shell-shocked while Raineruima looked like she was about to faint.

Raineruima met Sarah's eyes in the mirror and asked, "You really don't know what any of this means?"

"No," Sarah said slowly. "What _does_ it mean?"

Shaking her head, trying to wake up her ability to speak again, Raineruima stepped towards Sarah and began to lace Sarah up, pulling the strings as tight as they would go, much to Sarah's surprise and slight discomfort.

"At a certain age," the elf woman explained, "a young person in the Underground can obtain Marks, symbols of magic and power. Not everyone gets them, but those who do carry within them something that will help shape the Underground in the future."

"Wait, then why–"

"Hush, child," Rainermuima cut her off harshly. Her head was still swimming as she finished off the last tie. "I don't know how you received your marks in black, or why they may have changed their color, but I do know that they have meaning. Those visions you have been having for probably years make you a Dreamseer, but the Mark of the Dreamseer, a silver Elven Star, identifies you for the world to see."

"So, then dreaming the future is… normal?" Sarah asked, daring to be hopeful.

Raineruima shook her head, causing Sarah's heart to plummet to her stomach.

"No, it is a rare and special gift," she explained. "The last known Dreamseer was over five hundred years ago, before King Jareth was born."

Sarah tensed at the mention of the Goblin King and looked away from Raineruima.

"Can we not tell _him_ about this?" Sarah asked. "If it's as rare as you say, people probably try to exploit Dreamseers, right? So I'd really rather he not hear about it."

Raineruima glanced down at Sarah's foot, thinking of the dove. Silently cursing her luck, the elf woman said nothing and began to handle Sarah's hair to put it up. She needed to look more presentable if she was going to be dining with the King.

[6]

When Jareth arrived at Sarah's room, her balcony doors were thrown wide open, and she was standing by the railing, watching the Labyrinth and Goblin City below them. The sun shone in her dark hair, which had been pinned up with a silver hair clip.

The dress she wore was a green that Jareth knew would complement her eyes, and it clung to her every curve before it fell in a heavy wave of fabric around her legs. Jareth leaned against the doorframe, watching her silently.

Jareth heard the light scuffling of feet, and when he turned he saw the elf he had sent Sarah, bowing low enough that her nose could have brushed the stones. She rose a moment later, keeping her eyes off of Jareth's face for a moment longer, not saying a word, and Jareth merely waved his hand, indicating for her to leave, then turned back to watch Sarah.

The light click of the door behind the elf drew Sarah's attention away from the view, and she turned to face the elf, but froze at the sight of him instead.

"Hello Precious," said Jareth, his face and voice devoid of emotion. "How do you feel today?"

Sarah's emerald eyes glared at him warily as his subtly inspected her from the front.

Her slender neck was exposed with her hair up, yet her throat remained bare, leaving the eye to naturally train down to the exposed skin of her chest. What was shown was subtle, leaving everything but her throat and the skin above her breasts to the imagination. The sleeves of the gown clung to her arms as they travelled down to her wrists where they flared out slightly with an intricate silver embroidery pattern.

"I'm fine," Sarah said, curtly, causing Jareth's eyes to snap back up to her face and appreciate what the elf had done for Sarah by applying a few subtle make-ups. "Why?"

"I was just being polite, Precious," Jareth said, taking on a slightly humorous tone, hints of a smile pulling at his lips. "Although, now that you mention it, how is your hip?"

Sarah's expression deteriorated into brief confusion before remembering the events of the night before.

"It's fine," she barked. "But maybe you can explain to me exactly what happened."

Jareth broke eye contact by turning his attention to a small table sitting just off to the side. There was already a meal sitting on it, waiting for them.

The Goblin King calmly strode over to the table, ignoring Sarah's indignant huff, and pulled out a chair for her.

Rolling her eyes, Sarah walked over to the table, understanding that she wasn't going to get any answers until she did what he wanted. It was a trick that her stepmother had used on her more than once before Sarah ran the Labyrinth.

However, rather than taking the seat that Jareth offered her, the willful woman walked right past him. Sarah sat in the opposite chair, pulling it in herself, taking the napkin from the table setting before placing it gently across her lap.

Jareth merely chuckled at the display before joining her at the table. She was nothing if not stubborn.

With a wave of his hand, the silver coverings disappeared, revealing their meals.

Jareth took a moment to appreciate the cook's selection for this meal: a pasta in white sauce, with a side of a seasoned yam, a salad with raspberry dressing, all topped off with a red wine.

Before Sarah could protest, Jareth poured both of them a glass.

The look she gave him after, of clear suspicion, only made him smirk.

Just as Jareth picked up his fork to begin to eat, Sarah spoke up again.

"You didn't answer my question, Goblin King."

"Jareth," he responded, looking away from his meal to meet her eyes.

"Excuse me?" Sarah asked, not sure what he was saying.

"My name is Jareth," he elaborated, resisting using a patronizing voice. "I would much prefer you called me by my name than by 'Goblin King.'"

Sarah rolled her eyes.

"Alright then, _Your Highness_," said Sarah. She smirked at his glare. "You never answered me. What exactly happened last night?"

Jareth sighed, looking away from her again in favor of eating a few bites of his meal and watching Sarah begin to steam over his blatantly rude behavior. He was fighting fire with fire, so to speak.

"You received the Mark of the Champion last night," he explained calmly, before taking another bite of his food.

"And what does that mean, exactly?" Sarah demanded, pushing.

"That means that, when you defeated the Labyrinth, you became its Champion," his patronizing tone slipping out. "The Mark of the Champion is what it implies. Anyone who has defeated the Labyrinth becomes a Champion and thus, the Mark."

"So then, why now?"

"Probably because the magic of the Underground sensed that you are never going to leave again," Jareth said, looking up to meet her eyes as he took a sip of his wine. Much to his surprise, her face was not of anger, rage, or fight, but of despair. Jareth gave no indication that he saw or he even cared.

A few more minutes passed without any words from either side. The only sounds that came from either side were the sounds of Jareth's silverware clinking gently against his plate.

After ten minutes, Jareth suppressed a sigh and spoke again, "You need to eat, Precious."

"After what happened with the peach?" Sarah asked incredulously. "I don't think so. I'm not eating anything you brought me."

"As I recall, it was Hubble who gave you the peach, not I," he argued.

"His name is _Hoggle_, and it was under _your_ orders!" Sarah exclaimed. "He told me later that you made him! You threatened him!"

"I had my reasons, dear girl," said Jareth, smoothly. "And those reasons no longer apply. Now I must insist that you eat. On my word, the food is not enchanted like the peach."

When Sarah continued to look hesitant, Jareth said, "If you would prefer, I can have other food brought for you."

Seeing that she wasn't going to get out of this, Sarah rolled her eyes angrily, shaking her head as she lifted her fork and cautiously guided the food to her mouth after giving it a brief sniff.

They waited a minute, and when nothing happened, Sarah glared at him and pegged on, "I still don't trust you," before continuing to eat. Jareth only chuckled.

They ate the rest of their meal in silence. It was far too tense between the two to speak, but Jareth still hoped that that would change in time. He would win Sarah, this time around. He would not allow himself to lose her.

[6]

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**Sooooooooo... Shorter chapter, I know, but it has a little bit of explanation plus the introduction of a third tattoo. And so far we have... the Mark of the Champion of the Labyrinth, the Mark of the Dreamseer, and a dove that has an unknown meaning. To anyone who guessed a crystal, a peach, or an owl... sorry, no, that didn't happen.**

**So, y'know, I appreciate reviews, because they're awesome to read. Send me your theories of what's gonna happen or what the dove means, tell me if there's something you think i should improve on or something you do (or don't) want to see. Maybe what you take on Raineruima is? Or Adelaide? I'm curious to hear what you guys think!**

**Until next time (a currently undetermined date)!**


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